Although the academic standards of the School of Medicine are high, the failure rate is low. There are no predetermined rates of failure: every student is expected to pass, and each is judged on individual merits. The work of the first two years and for selectives is reported as Pass/Fail only. The work of each required clinical clerkship is reported as a letter grade. A student who has failed a year may be allowed to repeat the work, but no more than one year may be repeated. The examinations given by the National Board of Medical Examiners are recommended to the students, but they are not required and generally are not used by the faculty in their evaluation of the student.